Latest Church Headlines
All the headlines from our Church Topic Page, ordered by recency.
People Moves: Fred C. Church Promotes Burbine; Rodriguez Reappointed Chair of New York Workers’ Comp
Jul 18 2023 // Fred C. Church Insurance Promotes Burbine to SVP, Sales Leader Fred C. Church Insurance, headquartered in Lowell, Mass., promoted Bill Burbine to senior vice president, sales leader. Burbine’s insurance career began...
Churchill Downs Extends Baffert Suspension Through 2024
Jul 6 2023 // Churchill Downs is extending Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert’s suspension through 2024, keeping the two-time Triple Crown winner from entering horses in the Kentucky Derby and other races for an additional...
Catholic Church in Florida Struck as Insurance Costs Soar Toward the Heavens
Jun 27 2023 // It seems that few are safe from soaring property insurance rates in Florida, not even those with strong connections to a higher authority. The Crux, a Catholic news outlet, reported that the Catholic Church’s...
Lightning Strike Cited in Fire That Destroys 160-Year-Old Massachusetts Church
Jun 5 2023 // A fire that burned down a 160-year-old Massachusetts church was likely started by a lightning strike, a fire chief said. The First Congregational Church in Spencer caught fire Friday afternoon, when a storm was moving...
Catholic Church Settles Suit by Man Who Alleged Bishop Raped Him
May 31 2023 // A lawsuit brought by a former altar boy who said he was raped as a child in the 1960s by a now-deceased Roman Catholic bishop in Massachusetts has been settled, the sides announced Friday. The plaintiff identified in court...
Report: Catholic Clergy Sexually Abused Illinois Kids More Often Than Church Said
May 25 2023 // CHICAGO (AP) – More than 450 Catholic clergy in Illinois sexually abused nearly 2,000 children since 1950, the state’s attorney general found in an investigation released Tuesday, revealing that the problem was...
Oakland 2nd California Diocese to Seek Bankruptcy Over Abuse
May 10 2023 // The Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland filed for bankruptcy Monday due to hundreds of new child sex abuse claims, becoming the second diocese in California to do so. The San Francisco Bay Area diocese faces more than 330...
Churchill Downs Investigates 4 Horse Deaths Ahead of Kentucky Derby
May 5 2023 // The death of four horses at Churchill Downs over a span of five days has overshadowed preparations for the Kentucky Derby. Two horses trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. collapsed on the track and died over the past week. Two...
Feds: Ohio Man Tried to Firebomb Ohio Church to Stop Drag Show
Apr 28 2023 // CLEVELAND (AP) – An eastern Ohio man told investigators that he tried to burn down an Ohio church because he wanted to prevent a drag show that was scheduled to take place there, federal prosecutors allege in newly...
FBI: Fire That Damaged Cambridge Church Probed as Arson
Apr 21 2023 // A fire that broke out at a Massachusetts church not long after Easter services is being investigated as a possible arson, according to the FBI and state and local law enforcement agencies. The fire started about 5:30 p.m....
Church Tried to Exclude Named Storms, But Appeals Court Says Coverage Due Anyway
Apr 18 2023 // In 2015, the Shilo Christian Center in Melbourne, Florida, cut its property insurance premiums in half by asking its insurer to drop coverage for named windstorms. Hurricane Matthew struck the next year, ripping the roof...
California Church Paying $1.2M over Broken COVID Rules
Apr 17 2023 // A California church that defied safety regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic by holding large, unmasked religious services must pay $1.2 million in fines, a judge has ruled. Calvary Chapel in San Jose was fined last...
Fire Damages 114-Year Old Cambridge Church After Easter Services
Apr 11 2023 // A fire broke out at a Massachusetts church not long after Easter services, with more than 100 firefighters working to save the 114-year-old structure. The fire started at about 5:30 p.m. Sunday at the Faith Lutheran Church...
Victims Question If Baltimore Church Sex Abuse Report Is Complete
Apr 10 2023 // While the Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore has long touted its transparency in publishing the names of clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse, a report released this week by the Maryland attorney general’s office...
DOJ Tentatively Settles Suit Over 2017 Texas Church Shooting
Apr 6 2023 // AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – The Justice Department said Wednesday it has tentatively settled a lawsuit over the 2017 mass shooting at a Texas church that will pay victims and their families more than $144 million. More than...
Maryland AG Report Chronicles Decades of Child Sex Abuse and Church Cover-Up
Apr 6 2023 // Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown has released his agency’s report documenting a long history of widespread child sex abuse and systemic cover-up by clergy and others associated with the Archdiocese of...
Lawsuit: Celebrity-Friendly Washington Church Required Workers to Tithe
Apr 3 2023 // A Seattle, Washington-area megachurch that counts celebrities such as Russell Wilson and Justin Bieber among its thousands of members has been accused in a lawsuit of requiring employees to donate some of their earnings...
Texas Church Ordered to Pay Back Wages After Concerns About Rodents, Insects
Mar 17 2023 // After a nutrition specialist employed at a Dallas, Texas childcare facility raised concerns about rodents, spiders and other insects in its cafeteria, kitchen and other areas, their employer acted far from charitably and...
Albany Diocese Files for Bankruptcy Protection Amid Sex Abuse Litigation
Mar 16 2023 // The Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in New York as it, like other dioceses in the state, faces hundreds of lawsuits by survivors of sexual abuse by priests. Bishop Edward B....
Judge Approves Release of Baltimore Church Sex Abuse Report
Mar 16 2023 // A judge on Tuesday granted the Maryland Attorney General’s Office permission to publicly release a redacted version of an investigative report detailing sex abuse allegations against more than 150 Roman Catholic...
